CTC, the national cycling charity welcomes David Cameron’s announcement today of a £94 Million boost to cycle use in 8 major cities and 4 national parks in England and urges local authorities and MPs to make the most of this golden opportunity for cycling.

The Department for Transport say it’s the biggest ever single injection of cash for cycling which will see plans to make roads safer for those on two wheels.

Gordon Seabright CTC Chief Executive says “We have been campaigning for this for over a century. Now we hope this is just the start for cycling as a way of life in Britain.”

£77m will be divided between Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle, Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford and Norwich, while the New Forest, Peak District, South Downs and Dartmoor will each share a slice of £17m funding for national parks. With local contributions, the total new funding for cycling is £148m between now and 2015.This funding means that investment in cycling in the eight cities is now in excess of £10 per head per year, as recommended by the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group’s recent ‘Get Britain Cycling report ‘ This will help these cities deliver a surge in cycling similar to that seen in the capital.Prime Minister David Cameron said:

“Following our success in the Olympics, the Paralympics and the Tour de France, British cycling is riding high - now we want to see cycling soar. Our athletes have shown they are among the best in the world and we want to build on that, taking our cycling success beyond the arena and onto the roads, starting a cycling revolution which will remove the barriers for a new generation of cyclists.

“This Government wants to make it easier and safer for people who already cycle as well as encouraging far more people to take it up and business, local government, developers, road users and the transport sector all have a role to play in helping to achieve this.”

New trunk road schemes that have a significant impact on cyclists, such as junction improvements or road-widening, will be ‘cycle-proofed’ so they can be navigated confidently by the average cyclist.The announcement includes a commitment from the Government to cut red tape that can stifle cycle-friendly road design and to encourage changes to the way roads are built or altered.

Councils have been asked to up their game to deliver infrastructure that takes cycling into account at design stage.CTC looks forward to the opportunity to work with local authority organisations and others to ensure that the process of “cycle-proofing” delivers high standards of cycle-friendly planning and design, and that schools, employers, public transport operators, law enforcement bodies and others all play their part in building a truly cycle friendly nation.

This commitment to improved cycling facilities is intended to put Britain on a level-footing with countries known for higher levels of cycling like Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

In addition the Government is extending its commitment to support Bikeability cycle training into 2015/16;

The Government has already made it easier for local authorities in England to help cyclists. Measures include removing bureaucracy to introduce 20mph speed restrictions, which make streets safer for all road users. All of the cities receiving funding today have either already implemented, or are looking to expand, the network of 20 mph zones through the cycle ambition funding, with Norfolk and Cambridge looking to introduce extensive area-wide 20 mph schemes. Similar work has been done to make it easier to introduce 40mph limits in rural areas.

The Government has also made it easier to introduce “Trixi” mirrors at junctions so that HGV drivers can see cyclists more easily and contraflow measures so that cyclists can use one-way streets to avoid the busiest roads and junctions.Additionally, the Government is currently working with highway authorities to trial a raft of measures to improve roads for cyclists with easier to see signage.

CTC Chair David Cox OBE, who is a former chair of the South Birmingham Primary Care Trust,said: “I’m delighted that David Cameron has now shown the clear leadership that CTC and other cycling bodies have long called for, and that funding is now available for 8 cities in England, allowing them to to start to ‘Get Britain Cycling’. CTC now urges MPs of all parties to speak up forcycling in Parliament at the scheduled debate on the 2nd September, calling for new cycle-friendly designstandards, for the positive promotion of cycling and above all for the funding needed to make ‘Cycletopia’ a reality throughout the land”. Ends